Michele Novella and Dr. James Gordon talk before a workshop in resiliency and self-care for area psychologists and councilors dealing with the issues surrounding the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Photographed in Danbury on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2012. less

Michele Novella and Dr. James Gordon talk before a workshop in resiliency and self-care for area psychologists and councilors dealing with the issues surrounding the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. ... more

Photo: Michael Duffy

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Michele Novella speaks during a workshop in resiliency and self-care for area psychologists and councilors dealing with the issues surrounding the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Photographed in Danbury on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2012. less

Michele Novella speaks during a workshop in resiliency and self-care for area psychologists and councilors dealing with the issues surrounding the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Photographed in ... more

Photo: Michael Duffy

Image 3 of 5

Michele Novella speaks during a workshop in resiliency and self-care for area psychologists and councilors dealing with the issues surrounding the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Photographed in Danbury on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. less

Michele Novella speaks during a workshop in resiliency and self-care for area psychologists and councilors dealing with the issues surrounding the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Photographed in ... more

Photo: Michael Duffy

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Dr. James Gordon, left center, speaks during a workshop in resiliency and self-care for area psychologists and councilors dealing with the issues surrounding the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Photographed in Danbury on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2012. less

Dr. James Gordon, left center, speaks during a workshop in resiliency and self-care for area psychologists and councilors dealing with the issues surrounding the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. ... more

Photo: Michael Duffy

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Helping the helpers cope with Newtown

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DANBURY -- When a disaster strikes a community, those who help people heal sometimes need help themselves.

In the weeks since 26 children and educators were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, stress has become a common problem among social workers, mental health counselors, physicians and funeral directors working with people affected by the tragedy.

One mental health professional, whose son was a friend of one of the slain children and who is working with some of the affected families, called it a balancing act -- "taking care of myself as well as others."

On Sunday afternoon, 30 of these healers took part in a three-hour seminar to learn some of the techniques that Dr. James Gordon, founder and director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C., said would "help them take care of themselves as they take care of the community."

Since 1996, the center has shown health-care professionals, educators and community leaders the techniques, including meditation, movement and nutrition, to reduce their stress levels and help them pass along this healing to others.

"It's learning how to care for ourselves, so we can better care for the people in our practices," said Michelle Novella, a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Star Psychiatric Health in Danbury, which hosted the session.

In her practice, Novella has counseled a half-dozen first responders who saw up close the results of gunman Adam Lanza's rampage, and like so many others in her position, coped with "fears we wouldn't be doing it right."

So they reached out to Gordon, a world-renowned expert in the use of mind-body medicine to heal depression, anxiety and psychological trauma. Gordon is a former research psychiatrist at the National Institute of Mental Health.

Gordon led a similar seminar several weeks ago, and about two-thirds of those in attendance Sunday, also attended the earlier session.

Some people, such as Carl Heinemeyer, a social worker at Danbury Hospital who has a private practice, have been counseling families and teachers from Newtown since the day after the Dec. 14 shootings.

"It started on the 15th, and there's been a lot of stress," Heinemeyer said. "I feel for the people and just want to help the best I can."

Others, such as Gina DeSiena, of Ridgefield, a retired dentist who has studied mind-body medicine under Gordon, came to help others learn the techniques they have found so beneficial.

"I've experienced it myself and it's something I want to share," she said.

Gordon began the session with several minutes of what he called "soft-belly meditation" before he split the seminar into smaller groups for training in other techniques.

"Relaxation is crucial in a situation where everyone is feeling overwhelmed," Gordon said of his techniques. "As you use them on yourselves, the time will come when you feel comfortable teaching them to others."